USC football to play Alabama in 2016 for first time since 1985

USC and Alabama college football programs agreed to open the 2016 season with a Labor Day weekend game played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The game will be played on Sept. 3, 2016, when USC was scheduled to host New Mexico at the Coliseum. The New Mexico game will now be played on Sept. 19, 2020.

“At USC, we have always tried to schedule as many outstanding non-conference opponents as possible because we believe that should be part of the experience our players get when they come here,” USC coach Steve Sarkisian said. “The Trojans versus the Crimson Tide in Arlington will certainly be such a game.”

USC has not played Alabama since 1985, a 24-3 Crimson Tide victory in the Aloha Bowl. Alabama leads the series 5-2.

The highly anticipated game will add luster to USC’s future non-conference schedules, which in recent years lacked the big-name opponents common in the Pete Carroll era. USC does have a home-and-home series scheduled with Texas in 2017-18.